In an effort to improve the health of people around the world, researchers from all over U-M, along with private partners, will be part of the new Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The Institute is expected to become the largest university-based Health Services Research organization of its kind, and will open this year at the North Campus Research Complex.

The IHPI’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of people locally, nationally and globally through innovative, interdisciplinary health services research. Partnership among health services researchers is key, so more than 500 of the Institute’s researchers and staff will be located on the NCRC campus. Researchers will likely begin moving in late spring or early summer 2012.

Not all members will be located at the NCRC, but they will still be active participants in the Institute. Those researchers outside of NCRC will be able to find “touch-down” space or frequently visit the Institute to share and benefit from each other’s work. Joe Zogaib, NCRC Project Leader for the IHPI, says traditional offices and private work stations will be complemented by conference areas and informal seating areas once rennovations are complete around June.

Rodney Hayward, M.D., Interim Director and professor of Internal Medicine, says the IHPI will become an influential leader. The environment, opportunity for collaboration and the focus on some of the most challenging health problems of our world may help U-M attract and retain the best and brightest researchers in the field.

“The University of Michigan is an ideal place for an interdisciplinary institute like IHPI. U-M is truly a university without walls. I am continually amazed at the amount of intellectual exchange and interaction across departments and schools. IHPI needs to be a place where all scholars across the University, as well as key public and private partners, feel welcome,” Hayward says.

The Institute includes researchers from:

Arbor Research

College of Engineering

College of Pharmacy

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

School of Dentistry

School of Nursing

School of Literature, Science, and the Arts

School of Public Health

U-M Medical School

Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System

Others

Hayward stresses that, because health care is important to just about every individual, community and organization, another major goal of the Institute is to provide value to the university and local communities.

Christopher Friese, R.N., Ph.D., AOCN, is one researcher who already has plans with fellow Institute members. His research is focused on measuring and improving cancer care delivery, especially nursing care and system outcomes. This is a huge public health problem given the millions of people diagnosed with and treated for cancer every year.

“I have some terrific collaborations in the School of Medicine, Public Health, Engineering and Business. My goal is to generate and disseminate research findings that policymakers, administrators, providers, and patients can use to improve care for patients with cancer,” says Friese, one of the eight members of the Institute’s Interim Leadership Team and assistant professor in the School of Nursing.

The Interim Leadership Team of eight IHPI members currently oversees the Institute’s progress, managing things such as core development and constructing its mission, vision, and values. Additionally, James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., Dean of the U-M Medical School, and a search committee led by Dean G. Smith, Professor of Health Management and Policy and Senior Associate Dean of the School of Public Health, are in the process of selecting a founding director.